Graphics My video card suddenly is not detected.

This afternoon I turned on my pc and the tower came on but the monter light went amber. I was confused at first thinking that maybe my monitor got unplugged. So I checked all the connections and it still would not come on. So finally I hooked up the monitor to the onboard video card and it came on.

Once I loaded up the pc I quickly realized that my video card(geforce mx 420 PCI)was not being detected. I went into the device manager and it was not even showing that it was in the pc.

So I shut it down and removed the card and then put it back in.

It still did not detect it.

I am completely lost I can't imagine why my video card would suddenly just lose its detection like its not there and it is!

The only things that have happen is that there was a thunderstorm the night before but I have my pc on a surge protector. I recently updated my sound card and that is it.

Can anyone tell me how to fix this if possible?

 

it's a GF4MX 420 PCI? no big loss. life goes on

really; it sounds like the card has rendered its last pixel. lay the poor thing to rest.

 

Ugh...

Ok what is a good recommandation on a new video card?

One that is PCI?

 

gah. i'd get a new mobo. PCI (the standard PCI anyway) is a bit of a dead horse in regards to graphics cards.

 

Now I just noticed the 2nd harddrive is not showing being detected as well. Is it possible that I have a virus?

 

ooh.... could eb a virus, however that's unlikely. google "online virus scan" for, yes, you guessed it, a free online virus scan. it actually sounds lieka dying mobo!

 

I wouldn't rule out the Video card yet. Make sure the bios is set to use a PCI card and not the on-board. See if your Hard drives are all detecting in the bios to.

 

sounds like the mobo or suttin got fried in the storm. iv had many a system at work dies from them even with a surge protector board. test in the new system, check cables and c if the HDD is detected in the BIOS

 

Is everything connected to the surge supressor?

Is the monitor?
Is the modem?

You could have taken a transient surge through a phone line. or if you monitor was unprotected, it could have hit the monitor and traversed back to the PC via the monitor cable.

If your hard drive is not being recognized, then it is HIGHLY likely you took a surge through an unprotected route that hit your mother board. If it came in on an analog modem line, (phone jack to the computer) then the surge could have come over a phone line hit, through the phone line, to your modem (PCI likely) into the PCI bus of the board (video card) and into the system logic (IDE controllers)

Dont spend too much time on this... You learn this once in your lifetime. I lost a machine due to a phone spike like this. It only takes a little bet of backfeed to wreck havoc on your sensitive components.

Good luck, and I hope I am wrong...

 

No the monitor works and the hard drive does work. I must have unplugged it during all of the times I opened it.

I guess perhaps the card is fried. I am just going to purchase another PC when I can. This PC has been giving me problems for awhile. Its a HP and I have wiped the hard drive so many times. I cant even put xp back on it for some reason. I posted that problem up so many times. My computer that I put together myself works great to this day. Despite it catching fire when I first put together I have never had a problem out of it.

Oh well... thanks for all the help.

 

rofl. care to tell the story?

 

Haha... yea its kinda funny.

I like most Americans thinking they know a lot about computers, because I have used one for a extended amount of time, decided to build my own PC. I went out and bought all the components and started assembling it in the kitchen. I had no idea of what I was doing and I was doing my best not to read any directions. I kept thinking how hard can it be? Haha.. well after I had put it together completely, hardware and wires. I take it the bedroom and hook it up and got out the windows xp.

XP had just came out and I was just as excited to see it in action over my 98. So as the computer starts to boot up I shoot in the kitchen and make myself a drink. As the blender is going I start smelling something metallic burning and I run into the bedroom where I see all this smoke! Haha and right as I saw it, like out of a movie a spark shot out the back and some flames.

Haha I was in shock! I kept thinking get the fire hydrant but I didn't want to throw away my money! Haha.. so I ran up and unplugged it and picked it up and ran into the bathroom as I pat it out. I waiting a couple of hours to regroup and I read the directions and learned that I plugged up the power to the wrong device or something.

But hey.. its worked great ever since